That's right. Parashat "Vayeira" (lit. "And he saw."), is filled with totally absurd situations. I am choosing to break the content into 3 sections.
First: Who is the better host? Abraham or Martha Stewart? You decide.
The scene starts with Abraham sitting at the opening of his tent in the extreme heat of the day. Abraham lives in a desert. What else is he going to do? He doesn't have Central Park, The MOMA or Levain Bakery. It's probably really boring. But, none of that seems absurd. However, the commentators tell us that the reason Abraham is sitting in the opening of his tent is because he was always on the lookout for passersby. Poor Abraham. He's lonely! Or perhaps he has a new recipe he wants to try out? The commentators continue. "Extreme heat" reflect unseasonably hot, even for a desert. But, this is not due to global warming. God made it crazy hot on purpose hoping the temperature would prevent Abraham from looking for passersby. Why? Because, this is the third day of Abraham's recovery from his circumcision and God was hoping Abraham would rest. That's right, Abraham was recently circumcised as the final sign establishing the Brit/Covenant between him and God.
It gets better. Back to the original text. Abraham notices 3 messengers in the distance and immediately jumps up starts running around shouting to Sarah to fetch water and make cakes. He runs out to greet them, extreme heat and all, ushers them to his tent, rinses their feet and essentially begs them to stay and rest. They comply (as if they had a choice).
These aren't your everyday UPS, DHL or USPostal Service messengers. These are actually angels. They are sent by God to deliver some news including that Sarah will have a child from her womb even though she will be 90.
Second: Wipe Out
The second piece of news from the messengers/angels is that God is sick and tired of the absolutely horrific behavior of the people living in Sodom and Gemorrah and the only solution is to destroy the cities completely. WHAT? Didn't God just finish destroying the entire world a few portions ago? Lot and his wife manage to get out while the cities are burning. But, against instruction, Lot's wife looks back (her daughters didn't leave with them because their husbands thought Lot was nuts) and as a result turns into a pillar of salt. It's all absurd.
Third: Take Your Son
God tells Abraham to take Isaac and sacrifice him on an altar to God. That's not even the absurd part. ABRAHAM DOESN'T SAY ANYTHING. HE JUST GETS UP AND STARTS HEADING TO THE PLACE TO DO WHAT GOD HAS TOLD HIM TO DO. (And yes I am raising my voice. Who is more insane? Abraham or God?) Whether this is the 1st or 100th time you are hearing this story, "absurdometer" never decreases. It's always shocking and always unbelievable. And to be honest, each time, even though I know the ending, I still let out a huge sigh of relief when I read that a ram is sacrificed instead.
Go ahead. Let it out! Don't hold your breath. This is a lot of absurd in one sitting. A baby at 90. Wiping out entire cities. A woman turning to salt. And nearly sacrificing a son to God. There's more but it will have to be unpacked at another time. Let's try and digest all of this first.
From this parasha, the most common teaching offered (and it's an important one - a hugely important one) is that Judaism values welcoming the other, the stranger. We hold Abaraham (and Sarah) up as the models for "Hachnassat Orchim" - Welcoming Guests. But there is so much more.
What does all of this absurdity have in common?
Here are some ideas and would love to hear what others think.
Maybe...
...one of the lessons of this parasha, is that as Abraham and God continue to develop their relationship, this is the first time a one to one covenantal relationship is being established by a Deity and a human, exceptional (rather than absurd) things will happen. Exceptional circumstances for an exceptional relationship. This isn't an ordinary relationship so the circumstances surrounding it cannot be ordinary.
Perhaps...
...it's God trying to figure things out. What should it be like? What shouldn't it be like? How far should God push? How much should God demand? The Torah says that God is "testing" Abraham. Is it really God testing God?
And finally...
...is it possible that it's to teach us the importance of not dismissing the absurd? We shouldn't assume it's there by accident. We should always look deeper to uncover the meaning. If only one of these events were featured we might just brush past it, dismissing any value. But, having multiple examples, it makes it impossible to ignore. We have to look closer.
Mekor Ha'Chayiim, Source of Life, as we move into Shabbat, give us the patience to unpack the absurd so that we might find the deeper meaning. And may we be mindful of the privilege and responsibility we have to welcome others, help them feel comfortable and safe.
Shabbat shalom,
Laurie
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